Category: Life in General

Almost every day I pass by this memorial to a cyclist killed by a car. It’s right around the corner from my place. It is always lovingly maintained. The bike has been stolen and is always replaced. The white bike is a stark reminder of how unsafe the roads can be and how dangerous my new hobby is. But the message is clear:SLOW THE FUCK DOWN OR YOU’RE GOING TO KILL US!
I try to be careful but as I share the roads with cars, there’s only so much I can do.
More photos here.

I went for a little ride after work today. It was fucking hot. Scorching in the city. Over 90 degrees in Emeryville, which is really unusual. I saddled up around 6pm,. It had cooled off somewhat, but the sun was still beating down on me. I took two frozen water bottles with me, but it wasn’t really enough. Within 45 minutes, they were both warm. I headed over to Lake Merritt and wound my way through the Oakland hills to Montclair. It was a killer. I got lost, ended up on some unnecessarily steep hills.
About 10 miles and one hour into the ride, I hit Joaquin Miller Park and it got really steep. I don’t know the grade, but it’s enough to get me out of the saddle for most of its 5.7 miles. I think I would have made it to the top, but I’ll never know, because right near the summit, my chain seized up and I toppled over. Lucky for me, I was only going about 3 miles an hour, so breaking my fall with my hand was no big deal.
It always sucks to go over. It’s stunning in the moment just before you crash when you realize that you’re going to hit the pavement and there’s nothing you can do about it. It all happened so fast, there was no way to clip out. I was just along for the ride on the machine.

I recently accepted the challenge of cycling in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure fund-raising event. The Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in over 80 cities nationwide.
The Tour is a ride with different route lengths from a leisurely 10-mile course to a demanding 100-mile journey. 100 miles is a bit too intense for me at this point, but I’m going to push my limits and go for 50 miles (the most I have ridden to this point is around 40). The goal is to have fun and get some exercise while supporting the American Diabetes Association’s mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
So on May 4th (a mere two weeks from now), I will saddle up and ride along with Team Schwab in our company’s efforts to raise $125,000. My personal goals here are very modest. Only 200 bucks. Every little bit helps even if you can only give a few dollars. Of course, your contribution is tax-deductible.
It’s fast and easy to support this great cause – you can make your donation online. I appreciate whatever support you can give.
More information on the American Diabetes Association, its programs and diabetes in general can be found at the Association’s Web site.***UPDATE*** [2:28PM – 4/22] Got my first donation from my first cousin Rana (incidentally the First Lady of San Diego). I’m 1/8th of the way there. Please help me get to 200 bucks, MAKE A DONATION TODAY.***UPDATE***[3:24PM – 4/22] Thanks to Pete I now have 63% of my $200 total. Of course, Pete meant to bribe me to attend our 20th high school reuninion in June. I’m sure you’ll have more noble reasons to donate. MAKE A DONATION TODAY.